UCLA wraps up football training camp in San Bernardino with good vibe

SAN BERNARDINO — For the third year in a row, UCLA took preseason prep some 70 miles east of campus.

Two weeks of training camp at Cal State San Bernardino finally ended on Saturday, when the Bruins walked through an hour-long, no-helmet session before a crowd of more than 1,000 fans. And when the whistle blew — pure jubilation.

UCLA had escaped the Inland Empire in relatively good health, the heat and isolation having not done much except what the coaching staff had hoped for: helped the team bond and instilled toughness. On defense, at least, the difference is clear compared to what it was when Jim Mora and his staff first arrived.

“There’s a different vibe, just a different attitude,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who spent his first two seasons coaching linebackers and special teams. “I don’t know if you guys see that from the outside in. They’ve got a little spiciness to them. It’s like that feeling, like there’s always going to be a fight on every single play.

“They’re on edge, which I think is a good thing.”

Asked if there were any players who embodied that type of attitude, Ulbrich didn’t hesitate.

“It starts with that man in the middle: Kenny Clark,” said the former 10-year NFL veteran. “Kenny Clark is a grown man. He’s a grown man. I’ve played with a lot of really good defensive linemen in my career. He’d be in the top-three up there with those guys. That’s a guy that, if I’m an inside backer, that’s the type of guy you’d want to play behind.

Ulbrich’s list didn’t stop with . The UCLA assistant named a pair of seniors in defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa — who sat out all of last season recovering from multiple hip surgeries — as well as linebacker Eric Kendricks, who played through numerous injuries last season to lead the team in tackles.

And of course, Ulbrich also picked out the defense’s biggest name: “Myles (Jack) is like the biggest prick on the field. Which is awesome.”

The road back

After signing with UCLA, four-star linebacker Zach Whitley enrolled early and showed off the side-to-side athleticism that made him one of the top 15 recruits to come out of Texas.

That spring momentum didn’t carry over. Whitley was sidelined for most of training camp by a head injury, one that saw him briefly sport a neck brace. He may return to full action next week when practices resume in Westwood, but has surrendered the 2014 freshman phenom role to fellow linebacker Kenny Young — a Louisiana native who looks like a good bet to start in the Aug. 30 opener at Virginia.

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“He’s an emotional kid, and he loves ball,” Ulbrich said of Whitley. “It’s the most important thing in his life. To not be out here, I know it’s been eating him alive. But it’s a situation where we’ve got to be careful with him. We’ve got to make sure we handle this correctly.

“He’s coming along. He looked way better the past couple of days. I think we’ll see him on the field very soon.”

Work it out

Ask any Bruin what’s been responsible for his physical transformation over the offseason, and the answer never changes: strength coach Sal Alosi.

That extends even to kickers and punters, for whom Alosi targets with a specific workout.

“I do front squat, whereas all the other guys do back squat,” said junior place-kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn. “I don’t know what it does, but I think it’s my quads.”